Category Archives: Alisa Kleybanova

Just out of curiosity I had a look at the WTA rankings today to have a look at how many players with ‘ova’ as the last three letters of their surname were in the top 100. There were 19 – and that’s not even counting Barbora Zahlavova Strycova twice! That means almost one in every five players in the top 100 is an Ova!

Having just celebrated her 22nd birthday, world number 28 Alisa Kleybanova has revealed she is fighting cancer. Kleybanova has been absent from the WTA for some time now and has released a statement explaining her absence.

“It’s my birthday today and I want to thank all of you for the wonderful messages. I haven’t written anything for a long time about why I haven’t been on tour, so that’s why I’m writing this today. It’s not an easy time for me right now. I’ve been a bit unlucky with my health. I have Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a form of cancer. Read more »

- Jelena Jankovic beat Alisa Kleybanova, who seemed to crack at the end of the second set after working her way back into the match. Kleybanova seemed to throw her head into the movement of some shots, the same way she did when I watched her at the Medibank International in Sydney. Every time she flicks her head the ball goes out. She lost 6-4, 6-4. Read more »

Justine Henin was always going to be the dangerous wild card floating in the women’s draw. Elena Dementieva (WTA rank 5) was on the receiving end of Henin’s comeback in round two of the Australian Open this evening. The two women battled for just under 3 hours with Henin eventually prevailing 7-5, 7-6. Read more »